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75th Ranger Regiment
Image:75 Ranger Regiment Coat Of Arms.PNG 75th Ranger Regiment Coat of Arms
Active	June 19, 1942 -
Country	United States
Allegiance	Federal
Branch	United States Army
Type	Special Operations Light Infantry
Size	Three battalions
Part of	U.S. Army Special Operations Command
Garrison/HQ	Fort Benning, GA
Nickname	Airborne Rangers Army Rangers
Motto	Sua Sponte (official) "Of Their Own Accord"
Battles/wars	Battle of Normandy Battle of the Bulge Raid at Cabanatuan Korean War Vietnam War Operation Eagle Claw Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Shield Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope Battle of Mogadishu Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom
Insignia
Shoulder Flash

The 75th Ranger Regiment —also known as the United States Army Rangers— is a light infantry special operations force of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC); with headquarters in Fort Benning, Georgia. The Regiment is a flexible, highly-trained and rapidly deployable Light Infantry force with specialized skills that enables them to be employed against a variety of conventional and special operations targets.

The force specialises in airborne, air assault, Light Infantry and direct action operations, raids, infiltration and exfiltration by air, land or sea, airfield seizure, recovery of personnel and special equipment, and support of general purpose forces (GPF), among other uses. Each Ranger battalion can deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours' notice.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Rangers in Colonial and Revolutionary times 1.2 Modern history 2 Lineage 2.1 ANNEX 1 2.2 ANNEX 2 2.3 ANNEX 3 2.4 ANNEX 4 2.5 ANNEX 5 2.6 ANNEX 6 3 Honours 3.1 Campaign Participation Credit 3.2 Decorations 4 Mottos 4.1 Ranger motto: Rangers Lead the Way! 4.2 Regimental motto: Sua Sponte 5 Becoming a Ranger 6 Ranger Creed 7 Operations 8 Famous Rangers 9 See also 10 Further reading listed alphabetically by author 11 External links 11.1 Official sites 11.2 Former Rangers websites 12 References

[edit] History

[edit] Rangers in Colonial and Revolutionary times

• The term ‘Ranger’ first appeared in 13th century England. The origin of the ranger tradition in North America lies in the seventeenth century wars between colonists and Native American Indian tribes. In the original concept, rangers were full-time soldiers employed by colonial governments to "range" among fixed frontier fortifications in reconnaissance providing early warning of raids. In offensive operations they were scouts and guides, locating targets (such as villages) for task forces drawn from the militia or other colonial troops.

• By 1675-1676 a new element appeared in the ranger concept. Benjamin Church (1639-1718) of Massachusetts developed a special, full-time unit mixing white colonists (skilled in frontier ways) with friendly Indians to execute offensive strikes against enemy Indians in terrain where normal militia units were ineffective. In fact, his memoirs (published in 1716 by one of his sons) are the first American military manual.

• The traditional usage or ranger units peaked in the French and Indian War. Robert Rogers of New Hampshire organized a corps of New England woodsmen as full-time Provincials directly under British military auspices, and paid with British funds. The Ranger companies, known as Rogers' Rangers, supported British operations against French Canada on the New York and St. Lawrence River fronts. They occasionally operated with friendly Indians, but, more commonly, served with the British as traditional allies. Astute British commanders assigned regular British officers to Rogers' Rangers for training and experience in wilderness warfare, which they could then teach to their regular army regiments. The 1st Battalion 119th Field Artillery of Michigan and the Queen's York Rangers of Canada both claim descent from Rogers Rangers. A version of Rogers' Rangers Standing Orders is distributed to aspiring students at the U.S. Army Ranger school.

• Veterans of this corps had a major role in the Continental Army during the American War of Independence (a.k.a. the American Revolution), including Major General Israel Putnam and Brigadier Generals John Stark and Moses Hazen. The traditional usage of the military term 'ranger' had limited application during that later war. Various state governments employed ranger units for local frontier security, but the Continental Army formed very few, partly because George Washington considered frontier security a local responsibility, and focused national military forces toward opposing regular British and German army units in formal battle.

• Other than the regiments and separate rifle companies from Pennsylvania and the states to the south, who fought more as light infantry rather than as ranger infantry, the Continental Army only formed two functional ranger units: (i) Knowlton's Rangers, a provisional, three-company unit of volunteers drawn from Connecticut and Massachusetts infantry line regiments commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Knowlton, were created during late summer of 1776, at New York City. They fought excellently as light infantry in the battle of Harlem Heights on September 16, 1776, but Knowlton was mortally wounded. Two months later, the remnants of the corps fell to British hands when Fort Washington surrendered; of this corps, Captain Nathan Hale gained immortality as a brave, but inept spy.

• (ii) Whitcomb's Rangers originated as a similar, provisional ranger unit on the Lake Champlain front, in 1776. It gained permanent status as a two-company force on October 15th of that year, and provided reconnaissance to the Northern Department until January 1, 1781, when it disbanded at Coos, New Hampshire, as part of a general re-organization of the Continental Army. Most of Whitcomb's men were from New Hampshire and the Hampshire Grants (now Vermont).

• Other units in the Continental Army either used the term 'ranger' in their designation or were commonly called 'rangers', but did not serve as ranger infantry in the traditional, military sense. South Carolina and Georgia each raised mounted ranger units in 1775-1776, but when they became part of the Continental Army during the summer of 1776 they transformed to mounted infantry. In fact, over several years, the 3rd South Carolina Regiment gradually evolved into a line infantry regiment. When General Washington authorized Gist's Additional Continental Regiment, in 1777, he intended to man it with a mixture of white (Caucasian) southern frontiersmen and Indians of the Cherokee and related tribes. Washington wanted to use it as a vehicle for insuring tribal support — its Native American members would become hostages guaranteeing the 'good behavior' of the rest of the tribe — as well as a combat element. The ranger regiment never recruited the component Indians, and changes in British operations transformed the white elements to normal infantry.

• Contrary to myth, the light troops in the Continental Army overwhelmingly followed European doctrinal concepts. The four regiments of light dragoons raised in 1777 as a reconnaissance force derived from European developments in light cavalry during the eighteenth century. Only briefly, during the 1777-1778 winter did the Continental Army experiment with using them as a shock troop.

• Light infantry companies, which were added to each Continental Army infantry regiment in 1778, also had European roots. The American leaders stressed the ideas of Maurice, comte de Saxe and the comte de Guibert, two leading French military theorists, which advocated cross-training every soldier to perform both line infantry and light infantry roles to allow for greater mission flexibility. Light companies normally assembled into provisional battalions at the start of each year's campaign, and acted as a special strike force in traditional battlefields, and not as a reconnaissance unit.

• The Continental Army's other light troops sprang from a relatively new European concept, not the native American ranger tradition. During the Seven Years' War, most European armies developed partisan corps (a.k.a. frei korps). Originally fielded by the French to counter Austrian irregular fighters recruited in the Balkans, they filled a unique niche, by providing deep field security around an army in campaign or executed raids behind enemy lines. The Continental Army authorized several of these formations in 1777 and 1778, primarily employing European volunteers who could not be integrated to existing regiments without provoking arguments over rank or because of language barriers. Light Horse Harry Lee of Virginia (the father of confederate rebel general Robert E. Lee) raised the only American-born partisan unit. Each partisan unit in the Continental Army, however, had a unique organisation.

• The 1781 re-organization of the Continental Army resolved the issue of light troops with greater centralised control. The light infantry companies continued forming provisional battalions for each campaign season. The four regiments of light dragoons transformed into combined arms Legionary Corps comprisng four mounted and two dismounted troops; the partisan elements consolidated into two Partisan Corps, each with three mounted and three dismounted troops. The structure of the legionary corps focused on providing close reconnaissance and security patrols for a field army, although operational and manpower problems hampered most of the regiments complete success.

• Of all these units, only Elisha Sheldon's 2nd Legionary Corps (a Connecticut unit serving in 1781 in the West Point-Westchester County zone) fully exploited the possibilities of the combined arms structure. The two dismounted troops, armed and equipped as light infantry, provided camp defence from enemy surprise attack, and also provided a base of fire around which the mounted elements could manoeuver. They also became adept at employing mounted troops in a raids meant to provoke British pursuit, which they would end with a classic, "L-shaped" ambush.

• The 1st Partisan Corps under the Frenchman "Colonel Armand" (marquis de la Rouerie), and the 2nd under Lee both were assigned to Major General Nathanael Greene's Southern Department. Armand's remained a shell-unit during 1781, but Lee had great success in the Carolinas, executing specific missions for which the 3-3 mix of mounted and dismounted troops had been designed. In formal battles, they provided unblemished flank security, but were better employed in rear battle, by effecting deep raids against British logistical bases. Lee, in particular, shined when his regulars stiffened the irregular local forces of leaders such as Francis Marion ("The Swamp Fox"). The mix of mounted and dismounted soldiers gave the larger units greater staying power during independent firefights while also allowing rapid forced-marches (each light infantryman grasped a dragoon's stirrups).

• None of the light infantry units deployed by the Continental Army executed a trainer role as had Rogers' Rangers during the French and Indian War. In fact, Major General Friedrich von Steuben wrote a separate drill manual for them, in late 1780. He and General Washington intended this to serve as a companion volume to the famous "Blue Book", but operational factors prevented its publication and distribution.

Source: US Army Center of Military History.

[edit] Modern history

During the War of 1812, Congress authorised raising ranger units for fighting Indians in the western territories. In May 1942, during World War II, the 1st Ranger Battalion was sanctioned, recruited, and began training in Scotland under the British Commandos; 80 percent of the original rangers came from the 34th Infantry Division. Together with the ensuing 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions they fought in North Africa and Italy commanded by William O. Darby until the Battle of Cisterna (January 29, 1944) when most of the rangers of the 1st and 3rd battalions were captured.

Before the 5th Ranger Battalion landing on Dog White Sector, Omaha Beach, in World War II, the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the 150-foot cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, a few miles to the west, to destroy a five-gun battery of 155mm artillery guns. Under constant fire during the climb, they encountered only a small company of Germans on the cliffs and the artillery withdrawn some 500 metres. The guns were later found and destroyed, and the Rangers cut and held the main road for two days before being relieved.

Meanwhile, the 6th Ranger Battalion fought in the Pacific theatre, leading the invasion of the Philippines, and credited for the daring Raid at Cabanatuan.

After World War II, the Rangers were disbanded, however, the ranger training regime was kept in place, though only senior NCOs and officers were allowed the training. At the outbreak of war in Korea, the Rangers were reactivated and formed into Ranger Companies. The Chief of Staff assigned the Ranger Training Program to Colonel John Gibson Van Houten.

Soldiers from the 505th Airborne Regiment and the 80th AA Battalion reported, together they became the 2nd Ranger Company — the only all-black soldier Ranger unit to fight in Korea. During the course of the war the Rangers patrolled and probed, scouted and destroyed, attacked and ambushed the Communist Chinese and Korean enemy. The 1st Rangers destroyed the 12th North Korean Division in a daring night raid. The 2nd and 4th Rangers made an combat airborne assault near Munsan-ni where Life Magazine reported that Allied troops were now patrolling north of the 38th Parallel. Crucially, the 2nd Rangers plugged the gap made by the retreating Allied forces, the 5th Rangers helped stop the Chinese 5th Phase Offensive. Again, after the Korean War the Rangers were disbanded.

In February of 1969, under a new Combat Arms Reorganization System, U.S. Army Rangers were re-formed in Vietnam, as the 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne). Thirteen companies of Rangers (only 12 were in Vietnam) were raised from units that had been performing long range missions in Vietnam since 1966 as LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) and LRP (Long Range Patrol) companies. These new Rangers were given a unit genealogy curiously traced to Merrill's Marauders.

In Vietnam, the Rangers were organized as independent companies (C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, and P); each company was attached to a major American army combat unit. Rangers in Vietnam conducted long range, covert reconnaissance into denied areas. They collected intelligence, planned and directed air strikes, acted as force-multipliers in conventional operations, assessed bombing damage in enemy-controlled areas, executed hunter-killer missions at night and in daylight, by set ambush and by hasty ambush and surprise, and specially-trained and apecially-equipped Ranger snipers killed individual enemy soldiers and officers.

Additionally, Rangers attempted recovering friendly PoW’s, captured enemy soldiers for search-and-interrogation, tapped NVA and Viet Cong wire communications lines in their established base areas in the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and mined enemy trails and motor vehicle transport routes.

After the War against Vietnam, division and brigade commanders saw that the U.S. Army needed an élite, light infantry capable of rapid deployment, so, in 1974, General Creighton Abrams created the 1st Ranger Battalion; eight months later, the 2nd Ranger Battalion was created; and, in 1984, the 3rd Ranger Battalion-plus-headquarters was created. In 1986, the 75th Ranger Regiment was formed and their lineage formally authorized. The 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Battalions are Ranger Training Battalions and not organized as units of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Rangers participated in several operations, including the failed 1980 attempt to rescue the American hostages held in Teheran, Iran in (Operation Eagle Claw); Operation Urgent Fury on Grenada in 1983; the Operation Just Cause in 1989; Operation Desert Storm/desert Shield in 1991; Somalia in 1993; a Company of the 3rd Ranger Batallion was deployed to Haiti in 1994, before the operation's cancellation when recalled 5 miles from the Haitian coast; and the 3rd Ranger Batallion spearheaded the assaults against Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003.

[edit] Lineage

• Organised 3 October 1943 in the Army of the United States in the China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations as the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional)

• Consolidated 10 August 1944 with the 475th Infantry Regiment (constituted 25 May 1944 in the Army of the United States) and consolidated unit designated as the 475th Infantry Regiment

• Inactivated 1 July 1945 in China

• Redesignated 21 June 1954 as the 75th Infantry

• Allotted 26 October 1954 to the Regular Army

• Activated 20 November 1954 on Okinawa

• Inactivated 21 March 1956 on Okinawa

• Reorganized 1 January 1969 as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System

• Reorganized 1 July 1984 with Headquarters at Fort Benning, Georgia

• Consolidated 3 February 1986 with the former 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 2d Infantry Battalion, and 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalions (see ANNEXES 1-6) and consolidated unit redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment; concurrently withdrawn from the Combat Arms Regimental System and re-organised under the United States Army Regimental System

[edit] ANNEX 1

• Constituted 27 May 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 1st Ranger Battalion

• Activated 19 June 1942 in Northern Ireland

• Redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion

• Disbanded 15 August 1944

• Reconstituted 1 September 1948 in the Army of the United States as the 1st Infantry Battalion and activated in the Canal Zone

• Inactivated 4 January 1950 in the Canal Zone

• After 4 January 1950 organic elements underwent changes as follows:

• Company A redesignated 25 October 1950 as the 1st Ranger Infantry Company and allotted to the Regular Army; activated 28 October 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea

• Company B redesignated 2 November 1950 as the 5th Ranger Infantry Company and allotted to the Regular Army; activated 20 November 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea

• Battalion redesignated 24 November 1952 as the 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion and allotted to the Regular Army (former organic elements concurrently redesignated)

• Consolidated 15 April 1960 with the 1st Special Service Force (activated 9 July 1942), the 2d Infantry Battalion (see ANNEX 2), and the 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalions (see ANNEXES 3, 4, 5, and 6) to form the 1st Special Forces, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System

• Former 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 2d Infantry Battalion, and 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalions withdrawn 3 February 1986, consolidated with the 75th Infantry, and consolidated unit redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment (remainder of the 1st Special Forces - hereafter separate lineage)

[edit] ANNEX 2

• Constituted 11 March 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 2d Ranger Battalion

• Activated 1 April 1943 at Camp Forrest, Tennessee

• Redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion

• Inactivated 23 October 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia

• Redesignated 29 July 1949 as the 2d Infantry Battalion (Companies E and F concurrently disbanded)

• Activated 15 September 1949 in the Canal Zone

• Inactivated 4 January 1950 in the Canal Zone

• After 4 January 1950 organic elements underwent changes as follows:

• Company A redesignated 25 October 1950 as the 2d Ranger Infantry Company and allotted to the Regular Army; activated 28 October 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea

• Company B redesignated 2 November 1950 as the 6th Ranger Infantry Company and allotted to the Regular Army; activated 20 November 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 December 1951 in Germany

• Company C redesignated 27 February 1951 as the 14th Ranger Infantry Company, allotted to the Regular Army, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 27 October 1951 at Camp Carson, Colorado

• Company D redesignated 27 February 1951 as the 15th Ranger Infantry Company, allotted to the Regular Army, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 5 November 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia

• Company E reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 9th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 5 January 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 5 November 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia

• Company F reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 10th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 5 January 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 15 September 1951 in Japan

• Battalion redesignated 24 November 1952 as the 2d Ranger Infantry Battalion and allotted to the Regular Army (former organic elements concurrently redesignated)

• Redesignated 14 June 1955 as the 2d Infantry Battalion

• Activated 1 July 1955 in Iceland

• Inactivated 11 March 1960 at Fort Hamilton, New York

[edit] ANNEX 3

• Constituted 21 July 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 3d Ranger Battalion; concurrently consolidated with the 3d Ranger Battalion (Provisional) (organized 21 May 1943 in North Africa) and consolidated unit designated as the 3d Ranger Battalion

• Redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion

• Disbanded 15 August 1944

• After 15 August 1944 organic elements underwent changes as follows:

• Company A reconstituted 25 October 1950 in the Regular Army as the 3d Ranger Infantry Company; activated 28 October 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea

• Company B reconstituted 2 November 1950 in the Regular Army as the 7th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 20 November 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 5 November 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia

• Company C reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 11th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 5 January 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 21 September 1951 in Japan

• Company D reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 12th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 1 February 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 27 October 1951 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana

• Company E reconstituted 15 December 1950 in the Regular Army as the 13th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 1 February 1951 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 15 October 1951 at Camp Pickett, Virginia

• Battalion reconstituted 24 November 1952 in the Regular Army as the 3d Ranger Infantry Battalion (former organic elements concurrently redesignated)

[edit] ANNEX 4

• Constituted 21 July 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 4th Ranger Battalion; concurrenly consolidated with the 4th Ranger Battalion (Provisional) (organized 29 May 1943 in North Africa) and consolidated unit designated as the 4th Ranger Battalion

• Redesignated 1 August 1943 at the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion

• Disbanded 24 October 1944 at Camp Butner, North Carolina

• After 24 October 1944 organic elements underwent changes as follows:

• Company A reconstituted 25 October 1950 in the Regular Army as the 4th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 28 October 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea

• Company B reconstituted 2 November 1950 in the Regular Army as the 8th Ranger Infantry Company; activated 20 November 1950 at Fort Benning, Georgia; inactivated 1 August 1951 in Korea

• Battalion reconstituted 24 November 1952 in the Regular Army as the 4th Ranger Infantry Battalion (former organic elements concurrently redesignated)

[edit] ANNEX 5

• Constituted 21 July 1943 in the Army of the United States as the 5th Ranger Battalion

• Redesignated 1 August 1943 as the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion

• Activated 1 September 1943 at Camp Forrest, Tennessee

• Inactivated 22 October 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts

[edit] ANNEX 6

• Constituted 16 December 1940 in the Regular Army as the 98th Field Artillery Battalion

• Activated 20 January 1941 at Fort Lewis, Washington

• Converted and redesignated 26 September 1944 as the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion

• Inactivated 30 December 1945 in Japan

[edit] Honours

[edit] Campaign Participation Credit

• World War II:

1. Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead);
2. Tunisia;
3. Sicily (with arrowhead);
4. Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead);
5. Anzio (with arrowhead);
6. Rome-Arno;
7. Normandy (with arrowhead);
8. Northern France;
9. Rhineland;
10. Ardennes-Alsace;
11. Central Europe;
12. New Guinea;
13. Leyte (with arrowhead);
14. Luzon;
15. India-Burma;
16. Central Burma

• Vietnam:

1. Advisory;
2. Defense;
3. Counteroffensive;
4. Counteroffensive, Phase II;
5. Counteroffensive, Phase III;
6. Tet Counteroffensive;
7. Counteroffensive, Phase IV;
8. Counteroffensive, Phase V;
9. Counteroffensive, Phase VI;
10. Tet 69/Counteroffensive;
11. Summer-Fall 1969;
12. Winter-Spring 1970;
13. Sanctuary Counteroffensive;
14. Counteroffensive, Phase VII;
15. Consolidation I;
16. Consolidation II;
17. Cease-Fire

• Armed Forces Expeditions:

1. Grenada (with arrowhead)
2. Panama (with arrowhead)
3. Afghanistan (with arrowhead)
4. Iraq (with arrowhead)

[edit] Decorations

1. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for EL GUETTAR
2. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for SALERNO
3. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for POINTE DU HOC
4. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for SAAR RIVER AREA
5. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for MYITKYINA
6. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for VIETNAM 1966-1968
7. Valorous Unit Award for VIETNAM - II CORPS AREA
8. Valorous Unit Award for BINH DUONG PROVINCE
9. Valorous Unit Award for III CORPS AREA 1969
10. Valorous Unit Award for FISH HOOK
11. Valorous Unit Award for III CORPS AREA 1971
12. Valorous Unit Award for THUA THIEN - QUANG TRI
13. Valorous Unit Award for GRENADA
14. Valorous Unit Award for MOGADISHU
15. Valorous Unit Award for HADITHA, IRAQ
16. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1968
17. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1969
18. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1969-1970
19. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for PACIFIC AREA

[edit] Mottos

[edit] Ranger motto: Rangers Lead the Way!

On 6 June 1944, during the assault landing on Dog White sector of Omaha Beach as part of the invasion of Normandy, General Norman Cota (assistant CO of the 29th ID) while under heavy machine gun fire, calmly walked towards Maj. Max Schneider, CO of the 5th Ranger Battalion and asked “What outfit is this?”, someone yelled "5th Rangers!". To this, Cota replied “Well, Goddamn it then, Rangers, lead the way!”. From this, the Ranger motto ("Rangers lead the way!") was born.

Rangers lead the way is often abbreviated RLTW among Rangers.

[edit] Regimental motto: Sua Sponte

Sua Sponte, Latin for "Of their own accord" is the 75th Ranger Regiment's regimental motto. Modern Rangers are three-time volunteers: for the U.S. Army, Airborne School, and service in the 75th Ranger Regiment (Although it was previously stated that Rangers are four-time volunteers, Ranger School is not an immediate requirement of service in the 75th Ranger Regiment for lower enlisted men.)

[edit] Becoming a Ranger

To become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, prospective Rangers must begin with the nine weeks of Basic Combat Training (BCT). Upon completion of basic training the soldier will then attend Advanced Individual Training (AIT) to obtain a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). This training varies in length, depending on the selected MOS. Next, the soldier must complete the United States Army Airborne School. Upon graduation of Airborne School, the soldier will be sent to the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP), for grades E-4 and below, and the Ranger Orientation Program (ROP), for grades E-5 and above. Upon graduation of RIP/ROP, the new Rangers will be assigned to either one of the three Ranger Battalions or the 75th Regimental Headquarters, where they are now authorised to wear the Ranger tan beret [1] and the Ranger Scroll.

Final career development requires that all members of the 75th Ranger Regiment attend and pass Ranger School and earn their Ranger Tab. A Ranger cannot become a leader within the 75th Ranger Regiment if he hasn't successfully completed and graduated from Ranger School.

The unofficial motto of Ranger students from the Regiment is "With a tab, or on a slab" — that they will return to the regiment either with their Ranger Tab or dead. This may be a variation of the Spartan mothers' directive to their soldier sons, to return "With your shield, or upon it."

Upon successful completion of all 3 phases of Ranger School, the new Ranger is awarded the Ranger Tab and returns to his unit, a fully qualified and operationally deployable Ranger. The three phases take place at Fort Benning, Camp Frank D. Merril in Dahlonega, Georgia, and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Rangers in the Ranger Regiment believe that the term "Army Ranger" is reserved solely for someone who serves within the 75th Ranger Regiment. A popular phrase within the Ranger Regiment regarding this issue is: "The tab is a school, the scroll is a way of life" (the scroll being the insignia of the 75th Ranger Regiment). Another saying is Tab Wearers and Scroll Bearers. You wear the tab, but it's an honor to bear the scroll. A person who passes Ranger School is considered Ranger Qualified.

Rangers assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment wear the tan beret; soldiers who are Special Forces qualified and assigned to Special Forces manning positions within the US Special Operations Command wear the Green Beret. Paratroopers, soldiers who are both Airborne qualified and assigned to an active parachutist position; wear the Maroon Airborne Beret. The Rangers adopted the tan beret when the decision was made by Army Chief of Staff General Shinseki to issue black berets to regular soldiers in June 2001, in order to make them appear elite. This created a lot of discontent within the 75th Ranger Regiment and even led to ex-Rangers going on nationwide roadmarches to Washington DC to protest against the decision. Because there wasn't a Presidential authorisation to the Regiment for exclusive wear of the black beret, they switched to wearing a tan beret to preserve a unique appearance, tan being reflective of the buckskin worn by the men of Robert Rogers Rangers.

[edit] Ranger Creed

Main article: Ranger Creed.

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment.

Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move farther, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.

Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One-hundred-percent and then some.

Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.

Rangers lead the way!

[edit] Operations

• Operation Eagle Claw - Iran, 1980
• Operation Urgent Fury - Grenada, 1983
• Operation Just Cause - Panama, 1989
• Operation Desert Shield - Iraq, 1990
• Operation Desert Storm - Iraq, 1991
• Operation Restore Hope - Somalia, 1993
  • Operation Gothic Serpent - the operation that led to the Battle of Mogadishu
• Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, 2001
• Operation Iraqi Freedom - Iraq, 2003

[edit] Famous Rangers

William Orlando Darby - led Darby's Rangers which later evolved into the U.S. Army Rangers

Robert Law - Ranger/Patroller during the Vietnam War who received the Medal of Honor posthumously.[2]

Frank Merrill - led the 5307th CUP (Composite Unit [Provisional]) aka Merrill's Marauders during the Second World War. This unit was the founding parent organization for the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 75th Infantry (Ranger). The modern 75th Ranger Regiment drew its original lineage and history from the 5307th until 1986 when the lineage of other Ranger units including Darby's Ranger were officially authorized to the 75th Ranger Regiment. Previously held by U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets).

Henry A. Mucci - led and trained the 6th Ranger Battalion, responsible for the Raid at Cabanatuan, one of the most successful rescue operations in U.S. military history.

Robert Pruden - Ranger/Patroller during the Vietnam War who received the Medal of Honor post-humously.[3]

Lazlo Rabel - Ranger/Patroller during the Vietnam War who received the Medal of Honor post-humously.[4]

Phil Stern aka Snapdragon - world famous Hollywood and Jazz photographer who joined Darby's Rangers as official photographer during the Second World War.[5][6]

Pat Tillman - professional American football player who, with brother, Kevin Tillman, joined the Rangers in response to 9/11; killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.

James Earl Jones - actor famous for his deep, authoritative voice, joined the Rangers after graduating from the University of Michigan in 1953.

[edit] See also

• U.S. special forces
• Battle of Mogadishu (during Operation Restore Hope)
• Black Hawk Down (movie & book)
• Ranger (board game)
• The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC)
• UK SFSG - equivalent special forces unit
• 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment - equivalent special forces unit

[edit] Further reading listed alphabetically by author

• Bahmanyar, Mir. Darby's Rangers 1942-45. Osprey Publishing, 2003.
• Bahmanyar, Mir. Shadow Warriors: A History of the U.S. Army Rangers. Osprey Publishing, 2005. This book lists the lineage and history of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
• Bahmanyar, Mir. U.S. Army Ranger 1983-2002. Osprey Publishing, 2003.
• Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. Berkeley, California: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999.
• Bryant, Russ. To Be a U.S. Army Ranger. Motorbooks International, 2002.
• Bryant, Russ. Weapons of the U.S. Army Rangers. Zenith Press, 2005.
• Bryant, Russ. 75th Rangers . Zenith Press, 2005.
• Grenier, John, The First Way of War: American War Making on the Frontier, 1607-1814, Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-521-84566-1. Extensive discussion of American colonial rangers.

[edit] External links

[edit] Official sites

• Official 75th Ranger Regiment Website
• Official U.S. Army Best Ranger Competition
• GoArmy.com Ranger Website
• Ranger Training Brigade

[edit] Former Rangers websites

• 75th Ranger Regiment Association
• United States Army Ranger Association
• Current and former Ranger community website and forum

[edit] References

1. U.S. Army. GoArmy.com Ranger Recruitment: Entrance Information for Rangers. United States Army. United States of America.
2. USASOC (2003). 75th Ranger Regiment: Fact Sheet. U.S. Special Operations Command. United States of America.
3. U.S. Army Rangers. Rangers on night recon (photo). Fort Benning, Georgia (USA): 75th Ranger Regiment.
4. 75th Ranger Regiment, A Documentary about the training and formation of the Ranger's (Military Channel)
5. U.S. Army Ranger Association. [7]. U.S. Army Ranger Association. United States
6. Inside Delta Force by CSM Eric Haney (one of the first Delta Operator's, and participated in Operation Eagle Claw
7. Contemporary oil portrait by Cecy Rose of the founder of U.S. Army Rangers, Major Robert Rogers can be viewed at [8]de:United States Army Rangers

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